Newcomer / Intro A newbie’s first victory and some questions...

[BiffHardslab]

So I’ve only had E for a few hours (will have to be careful in what company I say that...) and honestly I almost already quit. But then I found a lot of forum advice saying to check and customize my keybindings, particularly moving the mouse controls to yaw instead of pitch, which was a huge help. Anyway, I decided to leave the tutorials behind and just play the game. So I take a courier contract, it’s only two jumps away from my starting point, no problem. But then as I’m cruising along something weird happens, a text chat pops up, something about catching me, and this blue circle that says “escape vector” appears before me. I honestly have no idea what is happening. I don’t see the enemy, but he must be there and “escape vector” looks like a good idea so I try to keep my ship focused on that. About ten seconds later apparently I’m in the clear. Phew!

So I make it to my destination. I know I’m in the right system, where am I supposed to land again? I hit “1” and look at my contacts screen (how awesome must this game be in VR??) on the left. Ahh! That’s where I need to go... an outpost, not a star base. No problem, I was pretty good at docking in the training I did do. Um. A message just popped up fining me from loitering? Wrong pad? Aww crap. They’re threatening me with lethal consequences if I don’t get my butt moving!!? Why can’t I land this stinking thing!? All of a sudden everything I learned in training goes out the window and I slam my ship into a tower-like protrusion from the outpost. Deep breath. Finally I stabilize my ship and just take it real slow. I land. Wait. I’m facing the wrong way. Yaw right. Yaw right. Yaw right. Slowly. Slowly. Slowly. BAM. I dock. PHEW!!

As ridiculous as this series of events probably seems to the veterans, it was a huge victory for me. It was very satisfying handing in that contract, even if it was only for 16k credits. I think this is going to be a nice game for casual pay, learning slowly as I go. Looking forward to it. So maybe this might be an encouragement to any other brand new newbies

But a couple questions for the more experienced pilots...

I really want to learn as I go and I don’t really want all the secrets just handed to me, but it is helpful to know what to expect and what is possible so I don’t waste too much time in the trial and error phase.

I really want to go out exploring. I’d love to have my name on a bunch of systems and clearly there’s plenty of systems out there. So first question: do you only get payed for exploring systems that are completely virgin territory? How does getting paid work? Can you earn money exploring as a newbie or do you need to do other things to make enough money so you can go out for your five year journey a la Star Trek? Also, if you make your way halfway across the galaxy, is it all completely uninhabited systems and it truly is unexplored areas or will you run across outposts and starbases way out there, too? What is this “bubble” that people refer to?

I used to play Eve Online but I simply couldn’t devote the time and brainpower to really get anywhere. I think E might be a good alternative. Currently I’m playing in Solo but I anticipate moving to Open as soon as I am confident in my basic ability to fly and dock my own ship! I like Eve because even if I did stuff all on my own, I still feel like I’m part of something much larger. I like to think E might do that for me as well, but maybe at a more leisurely pace. Does anyone else play in this way?

Also, do I have to answer a silly Frontier-based trivia question for every forum related activity I do here?

 

[Ashnak]

Start with the last one: once the mods are convinced you are a human being and don't want to sell washing machines , you'll be let off the leash.

Now, exploration. I'm afraid you're going to need some money for outfitting your ship first. While there are a few stations outside the bubble, those are usually close by (on a galactic scale) and you will have some problems finding a place to refuel. So you're going to need a fuel scoop .
It is also recommended to upgrade your frame shift drive (FSD).
If you still have some money left over , buying a detailed surface scanner (DSS) will significantly increase your payouts.
Payouts: you only get paid if you make it back alive. Then you can sell your data at the cartographics contact in any station at least 20 ly from the place you recorded it.

 

[n4p0l3on]

You'd still get paid for scanning and mapping any already scanned and mapped systems... As long as you can sell your data, beware that losing your flown ship would mean complete loss of that exploration data.

The bubble refers to the human colonized space, it spans an area roughly 400-500 light years centered around sol system, beyond that bubble it's literally empty space, free from human infestations save from a few small bubble of frontier human colonies like Colonia near the center of the galaxy.

 

[aRJay]

What happened to you in flight was an attempt at interdiction they were trying to drag you back to normal space for their evil purposes, congratulations on beating them.

No matter what mode of play you indulge in your actions are influencing the galaxy for everyone else, their is only one version of the galaxy so play in Solo, Private Group or Open as strikes your fancy when you log in.

If the system and planets aren't in your ships database then you can earn money for discovering and mapping them no matter how many other people have done so before you. However if you are the first to do so you get bonus awards and your name tagged to the system information. As the others have said you have to get back in one piece to sell the data to also get the bonuses and see your name enshrined you also have to sell the data before anyone else who might have been out exploring the same system.

 

[Hacker#451563]

Die

Yes Die...Die you n00b DIE!!!


You heard me right. Get used to it somewhere where it won't cost you anything. Go to a REZ site (LOW, normal un-named, HIGH, HAZ, you can find them in systems with rings around gas giants and they will show up on your left-hand NAV. Panel when you are within 1000ls of them) drop in as per normal and scan every ship you can see, if one says "Wanted" in red then shoot it. You'll probably die but that's the point. Don't shot the others (yet) as you'll end up as a criminal and get a fine. Save that for later.
Learn the limits of your lovely FREE sidey. Get un-afraid of the rebuy screen and see what you can handle.

Once you're happy with getting your botty handed to you you'll be much better at dealing it out and will lose he twitchy panic state that many people have when they are not used to getting shot to bits.

o7



Edit: Well done landing. [up]

 

[Sylow]

I really want to go out exploring. I’d love to have my name on a bunch of systems and clearly there’s plenty of systems out there. So first question: do you only get payed for exploring systems that are completely virgin territory? How does getting paid work? Can you earn money exploring as a newbie or do you need to do other things to make enough money so you can go out for your five year journey a la Star Trek? Also, if you make your way halfway across the galaxy, is it all completely uninhabited systems and it truly is unexplored areas or will you run across outposts and starbases way out there, too? What is this “bubble” that people refer to?

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As others already explained, the bubble is the human inhabitated space around Sol.
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Then on exploration: you got great timing. We just had a big exploration update. And while some people say that you should first get a bigger ship, I dare to say that if you plan to be an explorer, you can already learn it now and get paid well for it. You can make good money even in the bubble by going around and scanning things.
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If a system and body in the system is not scanned or mapped by you yet, go ahead and do that. You then can sell the data you acquired that way. Yes, it'll be very hard to find a planetary body in the bubble which wasn't scanned by another player yet. So no, you won't put your name on the map that way. You don't get the extra rewards for first discoveries. But you still get good money.
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Especially note: many other activities only really get lucrative when you have a big enough ship. Exploration can be done in any ship, so for somebody in a small beginner ship, it pays much better than many other activities.
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The very first thing you need for exploration is the FSS. Which is built into each and any ship. No need to buy anything. The second thing, cheap to have, is the surface scanner. With these two things at hand, you can already go around, scan and map places. Go wild, map complete systems. Learn to use the tools.
(Or check this guide out for the FSS: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showt...-FSS-A-pictoral-guide-to-discovering-a-system )
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Scanning a few system and mapping some planets will not only give you a feeling for the tools, but also earn you some money. Then you have to consider what you still want and need to go out exploring. If you want to put your name to some stars and planets, you'll want to go outside of the bubble. And don't worry, most of the galaxy still is untouched by us players. Even now, people can still find untouched systems merely a bit over 1000 LY outside of the bubble. Just don't expect to still find anything untouched on or next to routes to often visited tourist places.
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Anyway, the distance means that you need to be able to refuel. Thus a fuel scoop is the one absolutely essential thing you still want for long range exploration. You might want to upgrade your frame shift drive to the best possible to get some better jump range and you might want to also bring a heat sink launcher for the times when you end up too close to a star. If you have Horizon (means, if you can land on planets), you'll probably also want a vehicle hangar on your ship. And some shield generator also is helpful, to protect from small accidents and prevent bigger accidents from being lethal.
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But that's already the basic exploration setup. There's many more things which can be useful. Auto Field Maintanance Units and repair limpets (along with some cargo space) to keep your ship in good shape are the next line of useful things. But people were exploring successfully when these things did not exist yet, so they are not essential.
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So it's up to you, which ship you want to use and what equipment you want to bring. Just go out and do some scanning. See how much money you make, decide on which ship you'd like to use, based on that. But always keep one thing in mind: don't fly without rebuy. (Your rebuy an be found on the right hand panel. It's how much money you need to pay to get a ship replacement if your current ship is destroyed. Better have some money spare, than loosing it all when you have an accident. )
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I used to play Eve Online but I simply couldn’t devote the time and brainpower to really get anywhere. I think E might be a good alternative. Currently I’m playing in Solo but I anticipate moving to Open as soon as I am confident in my basic ability to fly and dock my own ship! I like Eve because even if I did stuff all on my own, I still feel like I’m part of something much larger. I like to think E might do that for me as well, but maybe at a more leisurely pace. Does anyone else play in this way?

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Flying in solo to learn is a good idea. Even now, years after launch, there are some people here, who enjoy bringing their highly engineered ships to the starter system to kill new players.
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You might switch to open, but expect to be attacked there if you go to a place where there's actually other players. Although, for a real explorer this matters little. Most explorers are outside of the human bubble and never see other players. A good compromise is Moebius. That's a moderated private group. PvP there is regulated. (Unlike what some people claim, it's not forbidden there. But you need to stick to the groups regulations, or you'll be kicked. )
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Thanks to how the games instancing works, you don't even miss out. Outside of hotspots, your chance to meet people are low in both open and Möbius. At hotspots, both of them seem to have more players than one instance can handle. So effectively, you run at the instance limit of people in either case.
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[Mo Ronik]

I play in solo mode and I just putter around doing what ever I feel like doing on any given day. I don't play in open because I have no interest in the arms race of having a multi billion credit ship with enough weapons to destroy the moon. I prefer a low stress having fun way of playing. You still have to deal with the NPC pirates and the like but that's not really an issue. Been playing ED now for just over 2 months and maybe in a few more I'll join a private group. If you join up with a squadron there are folks that can help you learn stuff. Yeah, they may tell you how to do something but you still have to do it and each advancement in your abilities is your own skill level. I highly recommend you get a HOTAS and learn to fly with that. Makes this game much more enjoyable. I picked up a used one on eBay for $35. Thrustmaster T.Flight HotasX - cheap and reliable and it really took this game to a new level for me. I'm a casual player that only plays maybe 3 or 4 times a week for a few hours each time. Yesterday I bought my 8th ship to start upgrading. I'm very slow in my progression but that's the way I like playing so compare this to your style and you can see how quick or paced you can advance. Other recommendations are some of the 3rd party websites. Check out Inara https://inara.cz/. You can glean lots of information there and set up an account to help track your own advancement. Mine is clickable on my sig line at the bottom. Also check out Coriolis https://coriolis.edcd.io/, it's a site that will help you with ship builds... cost, performance, upgrades.. etc. And the Elite Dangerous Data Base site https://eddb.io/ is an amazing treasure of information for all sorts of antics you can get into while playing. I usually have the EDDB site open in the background while playing so I can switch back and forth if I need some planetary or trading information. There are many others out there as well. Good luck out there and have fun.

 

[BiffHardslab]

Thank you guys for the great replies, especially regarding the info on trading. I’m really glad to hear others out there just kind of toddle around the universe in a relaxed manner. That’s totally my plan

I did a bunch of courier missions and have well over 200k credits at the moment and could buy a new ship, but I’ve gotten used to the sidewinder so I think I’m going to continue on as is until I have enough for a cobra mkIII and then get to exploring. I’m really excited!

It’s interesting that I don’t feel even a little bit of the fear and, lets face it, terror that I did at the beginning of my time in Eve Online. I would get the sweats and the shakes whenever I I tried to enter PvP or if I took my -fit Astero deep into hostile territory. And that wasn’t without its benefits, it was truly satisfying when I got back from null-sec with a full cargo hold or relic site loot, but currently im finding this part-of-the-whole-without-any-of-the-stress gig pretty preferable!

 

[Mo Ronik]

I kept my Sidewinder and I use it mainly for data and courier missions. I did rework the internals some and now I can move 8 tonnes of cargo if the need comes up but I don't look for it. I have 8 other ships now with each one being a dedicated role ship so when I get tired of doing one thing I can just switch ships and go off doing something else, with a completely new feel and visual to it. The fleet is small compared to a lot of folks in here with the 30+ ships but this is about all I can manage and keep them all on more or less a regular use. I do recommend you keep your Sidewinder as you'll find a use for it later but first, find a home port you can call home that has a good assortment of ships and modules to purchase. I started out at the Trevithick Dock and motored around from place to place checking out what each location offered. Eventually I found my home to base everything out of and keep my ships stored. I just go out and run around for a few hours and then make my way back home. This approach works well for us putter arounders. Each ship has it's own unique sound and I'm sure you are gonna love that Cobra. It has a really sweet engine sound and I love flying mine.

 

[Para Handy]

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Here is a present for you:





(Click to reveal)

 

[Lysette]

Btw you are "part of something larger" even in solo mode. The universe is shaped by all of us - called background simulation - regardless in which mode you are playing, you will see the effects of all players on the universe - in solo mode you just do not come across other players in the game. And in a private group you will just come across those group members, whereas in open you will come across anyone playing in open mode (which is basically like a group as well, just that it doesn't require membership).

But like I said, all players effect the background simulation (BGS), like in what state factions are, availability of goods in markets and so on. Well, you played EVE, the market in ED is not really a player-driven market like in EVE, don't expect that. Players do as well not trade with players, and market places buy just certain stuff and nothing else, same with supply, they supply just certain stuff and nothing else - and what depends on their market economy - like agricultural, extraction, industrial, high tech. BGS is still quite complex, not any near to the complexity in EVE, but still - it makes for interesting and enjoyable game play. And you will see the effects on the BGS in any mode - you are not playing alone in solo, you just do not come across any other player in the game (which explains as well, why you need an online connection in solo mode - you are still connected to the effects all players have on the galaxy).

Something else to know - this galaxy has about 400 billion stars - now imagine, if everyone on earth would play the game, everyone of them would have to discover more than 50 distinct stars to cover them all. now, there are not 7.8 billion people playing - maybe not even 7.8 million, but if, everyone of them would have to discover more than 50,000 stars to cover them all - and if those would be more like 780,000 players, everyone of them would have to discover more than half a million stars - so it is not any likely that we will run out of stars to discover in ED.

 

[Lysette]

It’s interesting that I don’t feel even a little bit of the fear and, lets face it, terror that I did at the beginning of my time in Eve Online. I would get the sweats and the shakes whenever I I tried to enter PvP or if I took my -fit Astero deep into hostile territory. And that wasn’t without its benefits, it was truly satisfying when I got back from null-sec with a full cargo hold or relic site loot, but currently im finding this part-of-the-whole-without-any-of-the-stress gig pretty preferable!

Then play in solo mode or consider to join a PvE only group - like https://elitepve.com/ - btw EVE is just scary at the beginning - well, the first few years that is - but once you really get the hang of it, have decent skills and preferably omega state, EVE isn't scary anymore. Fear and panic gets you killed, but with routine and practice you loose fear and you don't panic anymore - what isn't necessarily a good thing, being careless or fearless gets people killed as well - one should care, but not fear to play. But if you took your Astero into nullsec, you are not really a fearsome person at all.

ED is more fun exploration-wise though, EVE has still a lot to learn exploration-wise. Buy horizons, if you haven't done that yet - planetary stuff is real fun in ED, especially because you have a vertical booster in your SRV, you can jump-fly that buggy over rough terrain or just for fun jump over canyons or take part in races - some players do buggy races on planets.

What I like with ED over EVE is - hands-on flying, you actually pilot your ship, you are not just it's commander (even your title is Commander in ED) - what I like about EVE over ED - complexity and a real player-driven market (well, I did 2.5 years of wormhole PvP in EVE, and am doing since 7.5 years market PvP and industry, so yes, I really enjoy a real player-driven market and like to manipulate it). This said, since 6 weeks Elite is taking up all my space game time - well, actually nearly all my playtime - Elite is crazy addictive.